Between Reality
by heret1c
Summary: Continuation of Spirited away. Chihiro is grown up and comes to realize that when you've gone there, you can't look back.


Down a dirt road, past scattered shrines and moss-covered statues stands a plaster entrance where rust-colored paint is slowly peeling away. Going through the entrance and down its tunnel will bring you to a lobby where benches sit back to back between tall pillars and stained-glass windows created rainbow patterns on the soot-covered floor. Sometimes, if you listen carefully, you can hear the moan of the building as strong gusts of wind blow their way through the lobby and out into a large field. Big-eared statue heads poke out above the lush grass like boulders and an unfinished river snakes through the field just in front of a flight of stone steps. Go past this river and up the steps and you find you are led into an old abandoned theme park where empty restaurants stand shoulder-to-shoulder with menus and welcome signs still hanging from their doorways. Further towards the center of the park there is a wooden bridge, over-hanging a deep gorge, that leads to an immense bathhouse. They say, sometimes, you can see steam rising from the chimneys as if the spirits themselves are preparing the baths.

"Chihiro, where's your sweater?" Yelled a middle-aged woman from a warmly lit kitchen, "I thought I told you to put it out so I could wash it for Friday!"

"It's here, mom!" Replied a teenage girl at the top of the steps. Chihiro ran down the steps from her bedroom with a soft pink sweater in her arms. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail as usual and it danced behind her, held by a shiny purple hair elastic she had received as a present about three years prior. She handed her mother the sweater as she walked into the kitchen and sat down on a chair in front of the table on which a glass of milk and a piece of toast sat ready to eat. "Next time, put it out for me okay?" Said her mother, putting the sweater in a wash basket. The kettle on the oven had started to whistle so Chihiro's mother walked over to it and poured herself a cup of tea. "So...First day of summer!" She said cheerfully as she sat down in the chair across from her daughter, "What do you have planned?"

"Kanna and I we're..."

"Don't speak with you mouth full, Chihiro." Chihiro swallowed her toast before continuing, "Kanna invited me to go out to meet some friends with her."

"Oh? Y'mean Kanna Ibiki," Chihiro's mother said with intrigue, "Karen and Obu's daughter? From the family a few doors down?" Chihiro nodded. She had never spent any time with Kanna before so when Kanna had asked her out to meet some friends with her, Chihiro had found it a little strange. Kanna was one of the girls in class who always seemed very popular and who would disappear sometimes from school and either come back the next period or not come back at all. But she seemed nice enough and Chihiro had accepted her offer, although timidly. "Well, I'm glad. It seems ever since we moved here you've been lost in your own little world." Chihiro's mother said as she stood up from her chair to take Chihiro's empty plate, "It worries me, y'know. All the hours you to spend down near that old theme park. What in the heaven's do you do down there day after day?"

"Read mostly." Replied Chihiro, with a dull tone to her voice. Suddenly she felt her mother's hands at the back of her head. "Why don't you let your hair down, sweetie, so I can trim it," She said, "It's getting long again." She tugged at Chihiro's hair elastic and let the brown, kinky trails fall over her daughter's shoulders. She lay the purple elastic down on the surface in front of Chihiro who grabbed it and pulled it over her wrist. As her mother combed out her hair, Chihiro studied the elastic with nostalgia brimming in her eyes. Rotating her wrist, she let the light reflect off the shiny threads and let her mind wander to another time as her mother did her hair.

It was true what her mother had said. Almost everyday for the past three years, Chihiro had gone down to the park entrance and sat in the field or in the lobby, waiting. Usually she'd bring a snack and her school books to pass the time but then there were other days she would just stay down there, looking into the distance. She never went past the river, though, and she never stayed late. These were rules she had set for herself and she never broke them. No matter how much she would've liked to, she knew that it wasn't worth the risk. Instead, she stayed close to the entrance and would sit on the pew in the lobby if it was raining. When she was younger, and had just started her term in her new school, she would go there to cry and somehow the atmosphere in the building would soothe her. It would remind her of the times Haku would sit next to her as she cried and she would cry some more. Haku had promised they would see each other again so, remembering this, she would be able to stifle her tears and go back home. At those times, it felt like she had no friends except those she couldn't see. Now though, she was past all that and had made a few friends at school, to the delight of her parents. Still, she wished to see those she missed so dearly.

Chihiro looked out the window as her mother took out the scissors and started snipping the ends of her hair. "Is dad coming home late tonight?" Asked Chihiro, her voice far away. She sensed her mother sigh, "Yes, unfortunately. It seems the company has him working on a new kind of engine. He says that if he gets it done,we might be able to go on vacation come winter! Wouldn't that be nice?" As her mother shot out ideas of places to visit, Chihiro starred down at the trees at the foot of the steep slope past the street in front of her house. She knew if she went to the edge of that slope she would be able to see the dirt road she and her parents had gone down by accident three years ago.

It wasn't until a few hours later, at around five o'cock, that Kanna knocked on their door. Chihiro had changed into a yellow tank top and a pair of jeans she had bought just the previous week. She studied her self in the bathroom mirror before hoisting her hair up and putting it in a ponytail with her usual elastic. She had used the same elastic all these years and it still looked as new as the first day she had received it. _Well,_ she thought,_ that's what's good about things made by witches, I s'pose._

Downstairs, her mother had let Kanna in and was asking her how her parents were doing. Kanna flashed a smile when Chihiro ran down the stairs while pulling on a white hoodie over her arms. "Hey Kanna." Said Chihiro, coming to a stop at the bottom of the steps. "Hey Chihiro. Sorry I'm a bit late!" Said Kanna. Her black hair was up in pigtails and she wore dark eye makeup around her dark brown eyes. She wore a red sequin shirt and pair of dark jeans. Her jacket looked sporty and Chihiro recognized it as the school's volleyball uniform with the school colors, black and orange, worn as stripes down the arms and across the torso.

"Thats fine, I just finished getting ready anyways." Chihiro turned to her mother, "I'll be back later. I have my cell phone so call me if anything comes up."

"Okay, see you later." Replied her mother, following the two girls to the doorway, "Don't stay out too late."

"Kay mum. Bye!"

Kanna grabbed Chihiro's hand as soon as the door closed behind them, "We've got to pick up some people, so my brother is going to drive. I'm so glad you're coming, Chihiro! I was worried you wouldn't want to!" Kanna said this while she pulled Chihiro down the driveway to the street where a silver Mitsubishi sat waiting. "W-why did you invite me out, Kanna?" Asked Chihiro, finding her voice. Kanna looked at her for a second, "What a silly question! I like you, that's why! Come on, you can sit in the front with Yuko."

Chihiro recognized the name even before she saw the person. Yuko Ibiki was perhaps the most popular boy in school. He was tall, attractive with piercing brown eyes and was one of the smartest students amongst the grade 11 classes. Even teachers liked him! Chihiro felt very exposed, being someone who was barely known in the school and sitting to someone who was, in comparison, famous. She heard Kanna slam the door shut as she climbed into the back seat. "Yuko, this is my new friend, Chihiro. She's in the same History class as me." Said Kanna, ruffling Yuko's short, black hair with her hand. Yuko slapped Kanna's hand away before turning to Chihiro and flashing her a smile that had a remarkable resemblance to Kanna's. "Hey, I think I've seen you before in the hallways. You're always with Kayako Hizuru right?"

"U-uh yeah...You know Kayako?" Said Chihiro, not completely sure of what she was saying. "Yeah," replied Yuko, "We're in the same physics class together."

"Okay! Enough bonding!" Exclaimed Kanna, "We still have to pick up Ginta and Roumura, remember?!"

"Right..." Yuko turned to the steering wheel and grasped it with his hands, looking out the window, "Umm...Where do they live again?"

"Agh!"

Chihiro couldn't help but laugh a little at the apparent sibling tension between the two. Yuko started to laugh a little as well, "Just kidding. We're off!"

It took about fifteen to get to Roumura Aikawa's house and most of the ride Kanna was going on about how clumsy she knew Chihiro to be. This caused Chihiro's cheeks to burn since she knew that what Kanna was saying was completely true. At one point though, Yuko laughed and said "Well maybe that's just part of your charm, Chihiro!" But this only cause her to turn a deeper shade. When they pulled up in front of a large yellow house, Chihiro saw a boy run down the driveway towards them. Roumura was one of Yuko's friends and they were often seen together in school. They were called an odd combination, though, because Roumura was prone to being suspended for smoking on school property. He was as tall as Yuko with bleached hair and black eyes. He wore a pair or incredibly tight black jeans and a white shirt which he had buttoned up only half the way. He also wore a chain around his neck which supported a large metal angel. "Hiya!" He said as he slid into the backseat next to Kanna. "What's this? Fresh meat?" Chihiro stiffened, for some reason this guy made her uncomfortable. Even seeing him in the hallways at school made her cringe. "Don't be scary, Rou!" Said Kanna who then punched his shoulder, "This is Chihiro. She's going to hang with us tonight."

"Eh? Chihiro? That name's too long. Can I just call you Chi?" Roumura said this with his chin against the shoulder of her seat and she could hear his breath and feel it brush against the back of her neck. "Rou! Don't be impolite." Said Yuko but with a smile. _What could he possibly find amusing about this guy?_ Thought Chihiro. "Sorry! Can I _please_ call you Chi?"

"O-okay." replied Chihiro, not at all caring what he called her just so long as he would remove his face from her personal space. "Hey, can I call you Chi too!" Asked Kanna and Chihiro nodded. "You guys do what you want, I like her name the way it is." Said Yuko as they turned a corner. Chihiro felt her heart skip. "By the way, you can just call me Rou." Said Roumura.

The next stop took another fifteen minutes or so to get to. Ginta Oumaru was sitting on the sidewalk waiting for them. He was a subtle-looking guy with dark brown hair and blue eyes that peered through ovular glasses. Chihiro had seen him in school before but she had never thought of him as the kind of person who would hang with people like Yuko or Kanna, and certainly not Roumura. He was in Chihiro and Kanna's grade 10 level but Chihiro had only ever seen him in her English class. Apparently his mother was American but that's all she knew about him. What shocked her even more though was that when he climbed in the back, Kanna wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him straight on the mouth. "Hey! No making out on the seats!" Yelled Yuko, causing Roumura to laugh. Kanna seperated from Ginta who had taken off his glasses and had hung them on the neck of his grey shirt which sported the logo of some band Chihiro had never heard of before. "Gin, this is Chihiro." Said Yuko, "Please don't make her think we're all here for one giant make-out fest." Chihiro smiled again and held in a laugh. "Sorry, Chi!" Said Kanna, "This is my boyfriend, Ginta. You've probably seen him in school."

"Hey, you're in my English class, aren't you?" Said Ginta. It was the first time she had ever heard him speak. He had a surprisingly smooth voice one that you could imagine hearing on the radio. "Yeah," Replied Chihiro, "I sit a couple seats behind you."

"Oh right! I recognize you from that time Mr. Mason called you up to do a problem and you tripped and toppled your own desk over! Did you go see the nurse? It looked like it hurt..." Chihiro had turned bright red and Roumura had broke out laughing, "Seriously!? That's probably the best thing I've heard in my life!" He said while gripping his stomach. "See? I told you she was a klutz!" Said Kanna. "Oh Shut up, guys." Snapped Yuko, "You're embarrassing her."

After what seemed like hours Chihiro felt her face return to it's original shade. As she looked out the window, something picked at her brain. For some reason the route they were taking felt awfully familiar. "Hey...umm, where are we going exactly?"

"Huh? Y'mean Kanna didn't tell you?!" Said Yuko. "Oh my God! I'm an idiot! I forgot!" Cried Kanna, "This is a surprise for you Chi! I overheard your mother telling my mom that you like coming here often!" Chihiro felt her chest tighten, "So I thought it would be cool to go check it out!"

"Sorry...where is it you are talking about?" Asked Chihiro in a small voice. "Yeah, now I'm curious too!" Said Roumura. Yuko laughed but his laugh didn't have the same effect on Chihiro as it had before. "You'll see!" He said and turned the steering wheel to the left. A few minutes later Chihiro's heart was beating so hard she was afraid the others would hear. Now she knew what Kanna had meant. As Yuko turned the car up a road she could see the cloud of trees further down and the spot where the pavement turned into gravel and weeds. "Umm, what time is it guys?" Asked Chihiro as they came closer and closer to the gravel path. "Just past 7...why?" Said Kanna, "Hey! Do you know where we are now?!" She said, not waiting for a reply to her question. Chihiro nodded her head slowly. It would get dark soon. She had to make sure they weren't here past dark. "Y'know, my dad told me about this place!" Continued Kanna, "He said it was haunted and that's why nobody really comes down here anymore. When I heard that you come down here all the time though, I thought it would be neat to check things out! Maybe we could do a seance!"

"We don't have any candles, though." Said Ginta. "So what! We could..." Chihiro had stopped listening to what they were saying. Her mind was running on over-drive. How would she be able to convince them to leave this place!? Fear rose within her as she imagined them foolishly laughing as they ran towards the river while she clumsily and desperately tried to follow, she imagined them stopping when the sweet aroma of meat roasting wafted past them, wetting their apetite, and finally she saw their giant, pink, bloated skin ripping through their clothes as they were transformed into giant pigs. "Stop!" She yelled, fear taking control of her actions. "Yup, we're here!" Said Yuko, bringing the car to a halt. In front of them stood the moss-covered statue only a couple meters away from the car. The grass had been mowed and the entrance rose up in front of them, seeming more frightening then ever before. Yuko unbuckled his seat belt and Chihiro heard the others in the backseat do the same. "Come on!" Someone said, Chihiro didn't know who. She was too frozen with panic. They didn't know! Quickly she freed herself from the seatbelt which seemed to have been suffocating her and tore herself out of the car. The group was standing at the front of the entrance and Roumura was standing on top of the statue and laughing. "Wow this place _is_ creepy!" Said Kanna, gripping Ginta's arm. Chihiro was breathing hard and still couldn't think of what to say. Yuko was starring at her, "You look pale! Are you feeling all right?" He said, walking over. He raised his hand and put it on her forehead. The coolness of his hand seemed to snap her out of her stupor. She could not let this happen! She wouldn't! "We can't be here!" She said, here eyes wide with panic. Yuko stepped back, his brows furrowed in confusion. "We have to leave! NOW!"

"What is it Chi?" Said Kanna, running over, "Don't you want to go in?" Chihiro looked at Kanna, hurt was apparent in the girl's eyes and it caused a pang of guilt to spread across her chest. "I-I'm sorry." She said, "Really, Kanna, I am. I just don't..." Suddenly Chihiro felt Roumura drape his arm over her shoulder and she gasped as his face came close to hers again. "EH? Maybe it's true that there are ghosts here! Is that why you're so scared?" Kanna looked at her, hurt disappearing from her eyes "Is that it?" She said, "Your mom also said you never stayed past dark...Are you afraid of the ghosts?"

"It'll be fine, Chihiro." Yuko said is a soft voice, his eyes smiling. "Hey! Are we going in or not!?" Yelled Ginta, his voice echoing off the walls of the tunnel. "One moment!" Said Yuko who then turned back to Chihiro and grabbed one of her hands, "It's okay if you're scared. If any monsters come out, Rou here will just scare them away."

"I resent that!" Said Roumura. "Come on Chi!" Said Kanna who then ran over to Ginta and grabbed his arm. Roumura cackled and followed behind them leaving Chihiro and Yuko standing there alone with his hand still gripping hers. "Come on!" He said. Chihiro had lost her voice again and as he pulled her forward, her legs moved on their own even though her mind screamed 'stop'. She didn't realize it, but by the time they had caught up with the others, they were already half way through the tunnel, making their way towards the lobby. Chihiro felt like a little girl again, gripping her mother's elbow in the same way she was doing now with Yuko's hand and being led by the force of others into a place she had no desire to go to. She had just started making new friends, if you could call them that this early on, and already she was going to lead them into danger. As they came into the lobby, Kanna gasped and broke free of Ginta. "Chi! It's lovely here! Look at the colors the light makes! I can see why you come down here so often!"

"Listen!" Said Chihiro, "Promise me we won't stay here long!" She let go of Yuko's hand, feeling embarrassed having held it for so long. "Don't worry Chi!" Said Roumura, "We just want to look around your little hide-out. After all, Chi's secret spot is very interesting!" Chihiro felt like scowling at him but her face was too full of concern. "It's okay, Chihiro." Said Yuko who put a hand on her shoulder. Chihiro looked up at him, "But..."

"We'll leave very soon." He said, "What Rou says is true, Chihiro's secret place _is_ very interesting. But it is also very special since it belongs to Chihiro." he slid his hand off her shoulder and started to walk towards the arch that led out into the field. "Wha..." Chihiro had no idea what he had meant but her cheeks had started burning hotter than ever. Kanna and the others had started to follow Yuko towards the exit and, clumsily, Chihiro ran behind them. "Wait! Hold on!" She cried out. They all stood outside for a moment and looked around, "It's a field!" Said Ginta, his eyes combing the land. A cool wind blew behind them and Kanna jumped as a familiar moan ran past the wall of the building. "_That _is creepy."

"Ah, it's just the wind." Said Roumura who then took a few steps forward, "I've heard of this place before! It's an old theme park, right? It's been abandoned for years!" He jumped on top of a nearby boulder, "Yeah! I can see the steps leading up to it! Want to check it out?"

"NO!" Screamed Chihiro, "You can't!" All eyes came on her. Kanna's looked worried, Roumura's looked amused, Ginta's looked annoyed and Chihiru didn't want to see what expression Yuko was giving her. She stood her ground. This had gone too far, she could already see the sun beginning to set in the distance. "We have to leave. Now!"

"Geez, Chihiro. I know you think ghosts are scary but you don't have to be _this_ exaggerated." Said Kanna. The worry in her eyes had changed to annoyance very much like that of Ginta's. Rou had started marching around the boulder he had been standing on and was chanting "Operation Ghost Hunt! Let's GO!"

"Chihiro, you stay here if you want." Said Yuko is a soothing voice. Chihiro still didn't want to look at him. She expected she would see pity if she did. She knew she was right and she didn't want people to think she was being stuck up or crazy. She watched as the others began walking towards the theme park. Unconsciously, she followed close behind while her mind raced to think of some way to make them stop. "It's just a little farther! Past that old river there!" Said Rou. _Old river?_ Thought Chihiro, _Oh My God!_

"You can't go past there!" She wanted to say but the words wouldn't come out. She was mute. She was reminded of the time Yubaba had zippered her mouth shut only this was psychological! Suddenly she realized she had fallen behind and they were swiftly approaching the river. The sun in the distance had turned red and was falling beneath the horizon. She could imagine the lamps being lit between the restaurants and as her mind raced faster and faster, her feet raced faster and faster and she reached out to them with her arms. "Wait!" She screamed. She saw them stop and look back at her then turn and continue forward. Yuko had stopped a little longer but had followed behind the others in the end. She could see them coming feet away from the river, inches, centimeters. "STOOOPPPP!!!" She bellowed and what happened next she couldn't really understand. A great gust of wind seemed to trample her, pushing her to the grass and knocking the wind from her lungs. She heard Kanna scream while Roumura and Ginta hollered as well and she heard Yuko bellow out her name. "Chihiro! Chi-" Everything went dark.


End file.
